ABSTRACT
Delinquency is defined by acts, the detection of which is thought to result in punishment of the person commit-ting them by agents of the larger society. Users of role definitions of delinquency treat the delinquent act as nonproblematic, as something whose explanation is given in the explanation of a prior event. The point of reference is not delinquent behavior, because delinquent behavior is nothing more than an epiphenomenal outgrowth of the assumption of a delinquent role. Both the role and the syndrome definitions of delinquency are compatible with and, indeed, seem to foster the view that it is illegitimate to consider delinquency as a homogeneous or unidimensional phenomenon. The validity of the self-report approach can be established only by intimate and constant observation of the subject or by reference to court convictions.
